At the Presidio of San Francisco, military bands supported the ceremonial functions of the Army – from providing signals for maneuvers to sounding reveille. They also became an essential part of Bay Area culture, performing public concerts everywhere from seaside amusement parks to major civic occasions. In fact, musical luminaries – from trumpeter Chet Baker to members of the legendary Dave Brubeck Octet got their start in the Presidio’s Sixth Army Band.

California State Military Reserve Band

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day that ended World War I, there will be a special presentation by CW2 (CA) James Lamb and the California State Military Reserve Band evoking the spirit of the era. When the US entered the war in 1917, the Presidio sent three regular Army and one California National Guard infantry regiments that were deployed for overseas duty “over there.” These ranged from units like the 16th, which was with General Pershing (former Commander of the 8th Infantry Brigade at the Presidio) and was one of the first regiments to arrive in France with the “Big Red One”, to the 6th regular and 159th National Guard regiments that were deployed as replacement units, to the 63rd that made it as far as Maryland when the war abruptly ended days before they were to embark. The presentation will blend narrative, images, and video with live performances of the music that was important and unique to each regiment.

Events are free and open to all but due to space constraints registration is required. Please note that registering does not guarantee admission. Registered guests will be offered priority seating that will be honored until 15 minutes before the start of the event. After that time, seating will become available to all on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of registration. Please do not print a paper ticket. If you have registered, your name will be on the guest list at the entrance. You will be checked in upon arrival.

If an event has “sold out” but you’d still like to try to attend, by all means come join our line for those without reservations. Fifteen minutes prior to the event, we will open the doors to this line and will invite guests to enter until capacity has been reached.

This year the U.S. Post Office released a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War One entitled Turning the Tide.

This stamp, along with unique envelopes called cachets, will be offered during a special event for collectors, historians, and supporters of our military. Sale hours are from 9:30 AM to 4:00PM on Tuesday, 2 October, in the War Memorial Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco 94102, in the lobby of the Herbst Theatre.

War Memorial Veterans Building

There are eight different themes about America’s participation in World War One: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy/Coast Guard, U.S. Air Service, US Marine Corps, U.S. Women, African-Americans, U.S. Animals, and the War Memorial. Each cachet shows a collage of images including period posters and photos of men and women. Each cachet also tells a story about the role they played in helping to win the war. Take a look at them:

Collectible Cachets: America’s Participation in WW1

There will be a short ceremony at 11:00 am. Please join us and help us remember and honor their memory.

75th Anniversary of D-DayJune 6, 2019 at 6:00 pm – 7:30 pmMarines' Memorial Club & Hotel, 609 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USAOn 6 June 1944, 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces launched one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of Normandy, France. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the end of WWII in Europe, Brigadier (Retd.) Roderick Macdonald MBE and Dr. Seth Givens will…